House of Valois
The House of Valois is the ruling family of France at the time that Reign takes place. Early History The House of Valois was a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty, succeeding the House of Capet as kings of France from 1328 to 1589. A cadet branch of the family reigned as dukes of Burgundy from 1363 to 1482. The Valois descended from Charles, Count of Valois (1270–1325), the fourth son of King Philip III of France (reigned 1270–1285). They based their claim on the Salic law, which excluded females (Joan II of Navarre) as well as male descendants through the distaff line (Edward III of England), from the succession to the French throne. The House of Valois ends Henry II and Catherine had four sons who survived infancy: Francis, Charles Maximilian, Edward Alexander and Hercule Francois. The eldest son, Francis, became king at the age of 15 upon his father's death in 1559; however after only 17 months on the throne Francis was dead at the age of only 16 after suffering complications from an ear infection which was exacerbated by an abscess. Prince Charles was crowned King Charles IX at the age of 10. During his reign the House of Guise competed with the House of Bourbon in the guise of religious conflict. On November 26, 1570, Charles married Archduchess Elisabeth of Austria, and had just one daughter: Marie-Elisabeth of Valois who died at the age of only 6, and would not have been able to inherit the throne anyway because she was female. Charles later died from tuberculosis at the age of 23. The next brother Edward Alexander was crowned King Henry III and the day after his coronation on February 14, 1575, he married Princess Louise of Lorraine; however they had no children. The youngest brother, Hercule Francois was renamed Francis, Duke of Anjou as a child. He received large estates as the only surviving brother of the childless king. However, Francis never became King and he predeceased his elder brother when he died from malaria at the age of only 29. As a result of the lack of heirs the House of Valois ceased to exist, and Henry IV of France became King of Navarre: the first king from the House of Bourbon. List of Valois Kings of France Valois (Direct) * Philip VI, the Fortunate 1328–1350, son of Charles of Valois * John II, the Good 1350–1364 * Charles V, the Wise 1364–1380 * Charles VI, the Well-Beloved, later known as the Mad 1380–1422 * Charles VII, the Victorious or the Well-Served 1422–1461 * Louis XI, the Universal Spider 1461–1483 * Charles VIII, the Affable 1483–1498 Valois-Orleans * Louis XII, the Father of His People 1498–1515, great-grandson of Charles V of France Valois-Angoulême * Francis I – 1515–1547, great-great-grandson of Charles V of France * Henry II – 1547–1559 * Francis II – 1559–1560 * Charles IX – 1560–1574 * Henry III – 1574–1589 There was one Valois King who was King of Poland: King Henry III (son of Henry II and Queen Catherine). The application of the Salic Law meant that with the extinction of the Valois line on the male side, the Bourbon Dynasty followed as descendants of Louis IX. Significant titles held by the House of Valois * Counts and Dukes of Alençon * Counts and Dukes of Anjou * Dukes of Burgundy * Dukes of Brabant * Counts of Nevers * Dukes of Orléans * Counts of Angouleme Francis, Count of Angoulême (1494–1547), later became King Francis I Family Tree ---- Note: *Dashed lines denote marriage or a relationship that resulted in a child. *Solid lines denote blood relation. *† denotes deceased. *(I) denotes an illegitimate child. Members Members Dukefrancis.png|Francis III (Deceased) Henry22.png|Henry II (Deceased) Catherine22.png|Catherine de' Medici (By Marriage) Francis22.png|Francis (Deceased) Unknowncharacter.png|Louis (Deceased) Reign_Leeza1.jpg|Elisabeth Claude 207.png|Claude Unknowncharacter.png|Margaret Henriette5.jpg|Henrietta (Deceased) Emone.jpg|Emone (Deceased) SpencerMacPhersonasCharles.jpg|Charles Henry III.jpg|Henry III Mary22.png|Mary Stuart (By Marriage) (Deceased) Philip_II_of_Spain.png|King Philip II (By Marriage) Category:House Category:Family Category:Royal House Category:French Category:House of Valois Category:History Category:Catholic